The Ultimate Raichu Chronicles
by raigirl87
Summary: A cast of raichu characters with completely seperate lives find their fates intertwined. Do they even know who is on the good side or the bad side? M for violence, angst, smut, language. Raichu count: 5
1. Dine n Dash

_A/N: When I first started writing my Raichu Chronicles it was because there were not near enough stories that focused on raichus. This is for all the raichu fans out there. All my characters and plotlines are my own. I have my own interpretations of what pokemon reality is and it may differ slightly than what you believe. For those who have read my previous Raichu Chronicles, this will be their replacement. They will be deleted and incorporated in to this one. Let's see if anyone can guess who my characters will become later in life. __So, sit back and enjoy._

...

Three raichus stalked through the forest under the full moon that followed them overhead. In front was a large, muscular male and behind him walked a yellowish male who was speaking with a female whose color leaned more towards red. It was that color that was the topic of their conversation.

"I don't want to be called Rose," the female was saying.

The male beside her, again, tried to persuade her otherwise. "It fits you. Red, feminine..."

"Thorny," the lead raichu added in.

The female snorted at both of them. "Pick something else. I just don't like that one."

"Too bad," the yellowish male retorted. "You asked me to pick a name for you and I pick Rose. Don't like it then you think up something."

"I picked something good for you," Rose said. "Ace is a cool name. Me going by Rose would be the same as us starting to call you Yellowface like the rest of the forest calls you."

"And I like Ace," Ace stated, "and Rose is totally not the same."

The female was about to protest further but the lead male stopped suddenly. "Hush you two," their leader commanded.

The yellow male failed to be quiet as he questioned the other male. "What is it, Boss?"

"See, there's a name," the female stated, also ignoring the command. "Something like Captain or Killer or Death would be a good name for me. What do you think, Boss?"

Boss put his paw over his face. "I think I'm going to start calling both of you Mister and Miss Shut-the-hell-up. Now, quiet." Faintly in the distance he could hear something scurry off through the forest. "I think I heard them. We should be able to pick up their scent again just over that ridge."

Ace's stomach gave a low growl. "Good, I missed a meal back there. How long have we been chasing these three anyways?"

"Well if you wouldn't have used your thunderbolt - like I told you not to - you wouldn't have burnt our feast and that half of the forest to a crisp. Its too dry for our electricity to do anything but start a fire." Boss shook his head and looked at one of his front paws as he took another step. "At least this part of the forest looks like it had some rain recently."

Rose was looking around with concern. "I thought we would have seen some other pokemon by now. This part of the forest is as empty as the one we just left."

Ace nodded. "That's why most of us headed towards the edge of the forest instead of deeper into it. Before we left, I heard rumors that some were even looking for humans to capture them."

Rose and Ace looked forward to see Boss standing on his hind legs with his ears erect with a smirk on the side of his face. "I just heard a lot of movement and it smells like we just stepped inside another pikachu territory." Excitement wiped over the faces of the other two raichus. "Stay quiet and follow me. And I mean actually quiet this time."

The three soundlessly slipped into the shadows.

In a den deep inside the territory of the pikachu clan a young pichu was born. With her eyes tightly shut she cried for her mother. The pikachu who nursed her was getting older, her face was clouded with both joy and pain because she knew the little one had no chance at life.

The father looked sadly at his mate and her newborn then turned to call forth his son. "Come, Rain," he called in a hoarse breath. "See your newborn sister."

The pikachu that entered the den was still young, just at the age he would begin showing interest in finding his own mate, and he looked at the young pichu with worry. "But," he protested, "she looks so fragile."

"Don't worry, you won't hurt her," the father promised. Rain was the only surviving child they had. It was not because of his strong will but only the fact that he was male that kept him alive. It was a fact that the father decided his son should finally know about.

The young son approached with caution to peer down at his little sister. She was so beautiful but as he watched her she began to cough. He could see the pain and tears welling up in his mother's eyes and his father sighed as he rose from beside her. "Wh-what did I do?" The little male backed away, afraid he had hurt her by being so close.

"You did nothing." The father walked from the den, urging his son to follow. "Come, we need to talk." There were things his son needed to know and now, as his son was just reaching maturity, was finally the time to tell him. Rain hesitated at first but then turned to follow him out of the den and into the night.

Quietly they walked for a while before the father spoke again. "We have a poison in our blood. It is passed down through our sons and it takes the lives of our daughters. It has been passed down the generations and will always follow our family. The newborn will surely die from it as well." They sat down on a hilltop beneath the full moon and the father looked down at his son. "When you find a mate, make sure she has a strong heart like your mother's. One that can't be broken easily. There will be so much heartache that she will have to go through that she should love you, not just the children you can give her."

The young pikachu let his father's words sink in. He now understood his mother's pain and that his sister would die. However, his mourning would have to wait. A pikachu with black front paws came running up the hill, he was our young pikachu's best friend and he came bearing gossip.

"Hey!," he gasped out. "I heard strange pikachu were just caught trespassing in our part of the forest." The blackfooted pikachu paid no mind to the conversation he was interrupting as he belted out his news. "And," he added with another heavy breath, "they have raichu scent all over them!"

Rain looked back at his father but the elder had already turned away. "Raichu, huh?" The elder said. "You two go on, but be careful, raichu are dangerous. I must be getting back." He started the walk back to the den without looking back, worried that maybe this time his mate's heart would finally break.

His son turned to his friend and they walked down the other side of the hill towards the center of their territory. He was thankful for something to take his mind off the tragedy he had just been informed of. "So, what happened?"

"My father is the one who caught them," the little blackfooted pikachu boasted. "They were running through the forest and they didn't listen when he warned them about our territory. He said it took nearly a dozen to catch them!" The youngster strutted as if he had a hand in catching the intruders himself. "He wants to find out what they are doing here before he even let's them eat." The pair approached a circle of pichu and pikachu gathered to watch the trial of the trespassers. "If he thinks they have led raichus to us then he may run them out of the forest for good."

Looking worried, our pikachu questioned his friend. "What good will that do if the raichu have already found us?" The thought of any pikachu being out in the forest alone was bad enough, but when there were raichu scented in the area... They stopped at the edge of the circle, looking at the pikachus in question. "Two of them aren't any older than us. He can't chase them out!"

A father with two daughters stood at the mercy of another, older blackfooted pikachu. The daughters hid behind their father as best they could. They were both pale yellow in color and the younger daughter shook with fright. "Please," the father began. "My daughters are starved. Just let them eat a bit from your forest."

"No," the older blackfooted pikachu shouted. "You have invaded our territory." He spoke with authority and no trust in these outsiders. "No food will be given to you tonight."

"That's not fair," Rain shouted from the crowd. He was not well versed in politics, but this did not seem right to him. His friend stood beside him, shocked that Rain would stand up against an elder like that.

The older blackfooted pikachu looked at the youth who had spoken out, glaring at him and his own young child beside him. "Fair? You talk to me about fair when a hungry raichu is hunting you down! They-" he spat towards the trio behind him, "may have led them here!" Even as he spoke so fiercely, a chill ran down his spine and unknown shadows passed behind them.

"But everyone deserves to eat..." our brave youth muttered, unaware of the danger descending upon them.

From out of the night, a blood churning cry from a hungry raichu shattered the activities of the group of pikachu. The rodent killers had indeed followed the scent of the three rogue pikachu to the territory full of 'chu families. The raichu had been watching the trial and had pounced directly for the young blackfooted pikachu.

The daughters of the intruder and Rain, who had tried to stand up for them, dashed into the forest. The father of the girls stayed back to help fight for those who had offered him no kindness.

"Hold still, my mousey morsel," the raichu called Boss teased as he held his prey under his paw. The wild raichu's claws were long and the young pikachu whined in his grasp.

The father of the blackfooted pikachu tried to run to his aid. "You get away from him," he shouted, jumping towards the much larger predator.

"Oh no you don't," Rose chuckled as she plucked the pikachu out of the air by biting his tail in her strong jaws. Struggle was out of the question.

As the fight for life ensued behind them, our three youngsters who had ran tucked themselves into the cave-like base of an old tree that was hollow but still standing. "I think we lost them," Rain announced as he tried to sound more confident than he felt. Only then did it sink in that he just lost his best friend.

"Were there just the two of them?" The older sister stuck her head out beside him, visibly scared, while the younger shook as far back in the tree as she could manage.

"No," another voice said. "Actually, there were three." A yellowish raichu head poked around the tree with his tongue lolling to the side in a hungry smile.

Pure terror wiped over the faces of the young pikachus before they gathered enough sense to make another run for it. Their speed might have been a match for the raichu in a few years, but as it was, the young mice were as easy a catch as the raichu had chased in some time. "Hurry!" The young male shouted, as useless as it was.

But his cry had been heard. Rain's pounced from the forest and bit as hard as he could on the raichu's leg. The girls' father jumped in from the other direction to deliver a headbutt into his side. One on one - or one on three youngsters - the raichu had the upper hand, but raichu evolve their young at an early age and their speed is little match for that of a seasoned pikachu. Sparks flew from the raichu's cheeks as he turned to face his attackers.

"Run," Rain's father shouted as he and the other father prepared to battle the foe. "We'll handle this. Go!"

"I sure hope you have a plan," the other father replied. This wasn't going to be an easy battle. Even as they prepared themselves, they could hear the cries of pikachu around them being slaughtered.

"Where are we going to go?" The older sister asked as they ran through the forest, never looking back. Tears for their lost loved ones would have wait for their own lives still weren't guaranteed.

"There is another pikachu territory not far from here. Maybe they haven't been found by the raichu yet." Rain said. "We should be safe there. They are very strong."

"I sure hope they are more kind than this territory," the older sister said. Just as she did, she realized that she was talking about the male's family that he had just lost. In an effort to correct herself she tried to change the subject. "My names is Snow, by the way. This is Spring," she gestured to her smaller sister. "She doesn't talk much when she is scared."

Rain wanted to be angry at the moment but he couldn't help but realize that she was in the same situation. "I'm Rain, and we will be safe soon, I hope."

"How far is the other territory," Snow asked. She was already visibly tired and Spring was starting to drop behind.

Rain slowed a bit and looked around the forest. Slowing a bit more to a steady trot he could hear the sounds of a creek as it wound over the forest floor just out of sight. "I have only been to the edge of their territory once but I remember it took us a long time to get there. Maybe we should stop here for the night."

The two females nodded, they had caught the scent of the water as well and panted heavily as they approached it. Just as the three of them looked down they saw a pink light fade into their reflections. Thirst overcame curiosity and they drank until the light was forgotten. Although still hungry, the three laid down at the base of a tree under some bushes that would hopefully hide them from predators. Snow and Spring were quickly asleep but Rain looked around nervously.

The shadowy form of a spearow was sitting in the tree just beside the one they had taken shelter under and Rain froze as he and the bird locked eyes. "Be careful," the spearow said in a voice so soft and calm that Rain felt his tense muscles relax. "There are many trials yet to be faced in this forest. Rest here and you will be safe tonight."

Rain felt himself falling asleep and tried to shake it off. He wanted to talk to the spearow and ask him what he was talking about, but the lure of rest overcame his tired body. The red sky of dawn began to filter through the trees and the forest was as quiet as it had ever been.


	2. Searching For Safety

_For those who are not aware yet, Lepardas is a new Generation V pokemon. I browse Bulbapedia alot for this story and I have been keeping track of the new Black & White pokemon since the first whispers. Here are some of my reasons for portraying raichu the way I do: Rats will eat anything. A rat the size of a dog is very capable of bringing down prey especially when travel in packs. Or swarms, more specifically. Rats will eat mice and mice babies if they get the chance, dead or still alive doesn't matter to them. So, any objects feel free to voice or keep to yourself :D_

Rain was the first to awaken as a crisp breeze blew through the forest. He shivered as it chilled him through his fur. The changing of seasons was getting closer and the leaves were already loosing their green. It took the pikachu a few moments of wondering why he wasn't in his burrow to remember what had happened the night before. Sadness finally had a chance to sink in and he burried his face in his paws to cry. A warmth against his side made him look up to see Snow with reddened eyes, she had been crying for a long time.

Snow nuzzled her head into Rain's side and wept a little while longer. Rain felt his tears drying as he watched her and her sister as Spring joined them. He had to be strong for the two of them. They had come through so much already that they had to survive.

A sound caused Rain's ears to perk up. He looked around, not sure what he had heard or from where. "We need to get going." The forest was not a safe place for three young pikachus and safety was only a day away. "If we keep moving, we might be able to get there by nightfall."

Snow and Spring both nodded and stood on shakey legs. The three walked cautiously out of the brush and into the open forest. Quickly they walked to save energy in case they had to run from another enemy.

The sun was in its midday position and the warmth felt good where it made its way down to the forest floor. The three walked for the first part of the day in alert silence. At times it seamed like there was something just around the next tree watching them but other times there seemed to be nothing in the forest but them.

Boss, Ace, and Rose yawned and streched as they climbed from a burrow whose prior residents had been evicted the night before. The scene around them was fairly gruesome with a dozen or more pikachu bodies scattered about the forest floor. Dozens more had escaped into the night but the feast that was laid out would be plenty to keep the raichus from persuing them for a few days.

Rose was the first to start inspecting the kill around her for the one she wanted but she didn't begin eating until she saw Boss take his first bite into his own carcass.

"Why didn't we follow the other raichu to the edge of the forest when they left?" Ace asked between bites of his own meal.

Boss replied without looking up. "Because I don't believe there will be any more food on the edges, and if the majority of us went that way then I'm sure that the lepardas will follow them."

"Besides," Rose added, "we can't start a new pack without thunderstones. The pikachu territories are our best chance to find them."

"Can't have raichu without thunderstones," Boss said as he buried his face back in his meal.

Ace, however, sighed quietly as he looked around their little pack. "I miss being a scavenger."

Boss belched as he finished his meal and laid down. "Maybe after we settle a new territory we won't have to hunt anymore. Still, we have to find another thunderstone mine first."

"Well there can't be many pikachu territories left." Ace streched out as well. "What are we going to do if the pikachus aren't hiding the stones?"

"We keep searching," Boss said. "Pikachu hide the stones so that the members of their territory can't wander across them out in the woods. That's always how it has been."

Rose joined the other two. "Well if those lepardas hadn't decided to become the new top predator around here then the pikachu could have kept their stash of stones. Even so, I do enjoy the thrill of the hunt every now and again."

Ace agreed. "Sure beats the human trash that the rest of the pack is probablly forced to feed on now."

In the quiet moment of reflection that followed, not one of the three heard the silent approach of a large male lepardas until he was right upon them. "Hunting in our territory again, rats? I thought we banished the lot of you."

The raichus were instantly on their feet with their cheeks sparking. Boss cursed himself for not being more viligant. This was how their pack was infiltrated the first time.

"Be prepared," the lepardas continued. "You are surrounded and we will attack if you make the first move. All we want is for you to leave so we can enjoy your kill. We wouldn't want to have you meet the same fate at the rest of your pack." His laugh was low and menacing. The cat pokemon was just a little larger than the rats he was taunting but the threat of a hidden ambush made the raichus lower the electricity and back out of the way for the lepardas to walk past them towards a partially devoured pikachu body. "Run along now," the cat waved them off with a flick of his tail and others of his species began walking out of the shadows. "Oh, and no more killing in our territory."

All eyes were on the three raichus as they slinked out of the territory in the only direction left for them to go. All three picked up the scent of the pikachus but none said anything as they walked with their tails drooping.

By late afternoon, the three pikachus had to stop and rest by another small stream. Rain noticed how weak the two females looked as they sat close to each other and talked quietly. They had been half starved when they appeared in his territory so he could only imagine how they felt now. All of them were afraid to forage for very long and the few berries they had found on a scrawny bush hadn't done much to ease off the hunger pains. Rain had to admit that they were either very stubborn or stronger than they looked.

A rustle called their attentions to a bush just on the other side of the stream where a purple form slithered forward. It was a young ekans, but the look of hunger in its yellow eyes told of an experienced killer.

"So, I think we should go now," Rain said as the creature began to cross the stream. Snow and Spring agreed as they bolted off, trying to go wide to make it around the ekans toward the pikachu territory.

The ekans, however young, was just as fast as the three mice it chased. "Split up," Snow yelled, but not before the snake had lunged at the group. One fang caught Spring's leg just as she tried to dart off to the left. It only make a scratch but there was enough pain to know that she had been poisoned.

Snow heard Spring yell at the attack and quickly turned around to help her sister. She tackled him in the side and the ekans spun around to face her. Yellow eyes glared down at her and she had to fight back her own fear in order to attack again.

Rain scratched at the serpent's side and, with a hiss of pain, the ekans slung his coils around the male and started squeezing. Gasping for air he was unable to attack any further.

Snow charged at the ekans again and lept into the air. With a crack, she unleashed the electricity inside of her. Rain felt the coils loosen around him as the snake fell limp. As he tried to recover his breath he noticed that Snow had collapsed on the ground. Both him and Spring rushed to her side.

"I'm fine," Snow protested as she tried to get up. Her legs were more shakey than before but she urged the other two to continue on. "We have to get to safety, then I can rest."

Spring tried again to convince her to lay back down but Rain shook his head. "That battle will probablly draw a lot of attention and we don't know this part of the forest. We have got to get out of here before we get attacked again." He looked back at Spring whose leg was slightly bleeding. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I think so," Spring said quietly. "How much further is it?"

Rain looked at the sun that was slowly getting lower in the sky. It would be dusk in a few more hours. "Hopefully not much further, but we have to keep moving."

They traveled through the forest as quickly as Snow and Spring could move. All were fearful of another attack before they could make it to safety. Rain began to worry that the territory they were headed to would be just as hard on them as his old territory had been to the females and their father, although they had no other choice now.

Further back in the forest the raichu had slowly gained on the pikachu. Although they had eaten earlier that morning, Rose was starting to feel the growl of hunger. She hadn't stuffed herself since the food was so plentiful and now she regreted it.

The raichus walked until Ace's stomach also gave out a low growl. "What is with you two?" Boss asked as he stopped to look at them. "No meal is gaurenteed in this forest. You eat what you can, when you can in case it is the last you eat for a while."

Ace and Rose both let out a "sorry, Boss," with their heads down before Boss turned around and continued walking.

Boss sniffed the air from his position in lead before walking across a pile of charred leaves. "There was a battle here recently. It smells like our little pikachu prey has been fighting for survival." Ace and Rose both perked up at the thought of another meal. "The scent is just a couple of hours old. If we hurry from here, we should be on them in no time."

The three raichus rushed through the woods. Their long limbs and better endurance had them right at the pikachus' tails just as dusk was settling over the forest. The sun was tucked in behind the trees and darkness was sweeping over from the other side. The raichus' eyes adjusted to allow for their even better nightvision as the spotted the pikachu at the base of a hill. They were close enough to hear them as they spoke.

"I'm just ready for this day to be over," Snow said as she collapsed yet again. For the past few miniutes she hadn't been able to walk more than a few feet before her legs would give out. Spring was past the point of limping and simply kept her injured leg elevated at all times as she hobbled along on just three. Rain was trying to support both of their weights which finally became impossible as both neared the point of passing out. It would've been so easy to have laid down and let whatever was in the darkness take them.

"These have been the most terrifying days in my life," Rain whispered as he tried in vain to lift the bodies of both Snow and Spring onto his back.

"Most terrifying, huh?" Another voice joined in, this one all too familiar. It was Boss who had spoken. Blood still stained his fur as him and his own two counterparts emerged from the shadows. They made for a very imposing sight to the three starved pikachus. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

Rain shook as weakness overcame his body. He laid down, Snow rolled to one side and Spring to the other. Snow lifted her head just enough to nuzzle him as the raichus approached. There was nothing left they could do. Bloody saliva dripped from Ace's mouth as he moved towards the seperate entrees set out before them, looking at Boss for the approval to dig in.

Before the foes could taste their first bite, a flash of blinding light lit up the forest. The alarmed raichus began to spark in their aggitation, their eyes that were dialated to take in as much light as the night had to offer burned with with the sudden flash. The pikachus waited for the worst, sure that it was just something else ready to make a meal out of them.

When the light faded away the raichus were left staggering in the darkness as their eyes fought to readjust to the dim light of the night. Rose suddenly felt something bite at her leg but she could still see only darkness. Ace also strained to see what had just hit him in the side and Boss growled furiously when something took a bite of his tail.

"Show yourself!" Boss shouted at the unseen enemy, expecting it to be another trick the lepardas were pulling on them. "Put up a real fight you coward!"

They could hear a faint laugh in the darkness. "Suit yourself," the voice said. A few seconds passed and Boss blinked his eyes back into focus in the night. "See me now?" The voice said from up above. Boss looked up just in time to have an iron tail attack hit him directly between the eyes. His vision blurred then went black.

The two remaining raichus and the three exhaused pikachus looked around them to see a ring of pikachu that surrounded all of them. Rose and Ace stood back to back on their hind legs waiting for another attack. A pikachu from the circle walked forward on his hind legs towards the raichus. His body showed scars under his fur and he wore a tooth of some sort around his neck on a string made of vines. "You have no business in our territory," he told the raichus. At the edge of the circle a few pikachus were escorting Rain and the two females up and over the hill, practically carrying their limp bodies.

Boss slowly came to once again and looked around at the ring of pikachus. If they all had the power of that one then this battle would not end well for the raichus. "We only want your thunderstones," Boss blurted out. Rose and Ace gave him a look of confusion.

Ace pointed a claw at the pikachu in the center. "Boss, we can take them."

Boss shook his head. "Dammit, Ace, they are strong. You try getting knocked in the head."

"That was just a cheap shot." Ace retaliated.

"We are out of options, Ace! No more." Boss showed his teeth in a deep growl.

The pikachu in the center shouted above the two raichus as they faced down each other. "Enough! If it is thunderstones you search for then you are out of luck. There have been no such stones in this territory since it was claimed." The pikachu held his head and tail high in dominance dispite his small size when compared to the raichus. When he felt confident that he had made his point he waved the circle of pikachus and turned his back on the three predators. With a glance over his shoulder that confirmed that they had remained in their places he ran off to follow the others back into their territory.

Rose sat down on the cold leaves. "What now?" Her voice was tired and without any confidence that she would like the answer she received.

"Keep searching," Boss replied as he took the lead once again. "We either find them, or we wind up like the rest." Rose fell into step right behind him but Ace stayed a few feet back. Just like that they turned to continue further into the forest.


	3. New Start

_Thank you for the reviews so far. They really inspire me and make me want to update faster. This is a story that has been in the works for three years now, so I don't think I will ever be able to abandon it. Keep reading and I will keep writing._

...

Just as the early morning sun peeked through the forest, Rain crawled from his den. Rain, Snow, and Spring had been in the new territory for three days now since they were rescued from the raichus. They learned that this was the oldest pack in the forest and that their own packs likely broke off from here many generations ago.

Two dens had been provided for them by the pikachu with the tooth around his neck. He was the most respected in the pack and usually took lead, his name was Bite. Rain took one den while the sisters took the other, but rent was not free. Bite had explained to them that everyone pulled their own weight, everyone helped, and everyone ate. They would wake at dawn and be given orders for the day, had leisure time in the evening, then would report again for their night orders.

As Rain walked towards the meeting spot in the center of the territory he paused by Snow's den to check and make sure they were awake. An old pikachu, to old to do anything else, walked around all the burrows to check for sleepers who weren't up yet. Snow met him at the entrance followed closely by Spring so the three walked together to receive their orders. Although Spring shivered in the cool air, Snow seemed to walk with a warm glow around her. Rain looked at her for a moment as he tried to figure out what was different about her but turned away when she caught him staring. They arrived at a clearing in the center of the territory to see every pikachu or pichu in the clan sitting around a boulder. Snow sat down by Rain once they joined the group but Spring went up a little closer to sit by the pikachu who had carried her to safety when they confronted the raichus. The two had been talking since that night and Snow was glad that her sister was starting to loose some of her timidness. With as awful at the experience with the raichus had been, all three felt like they had matured a lot because of it.

Bite stood on the rock in the center of the growing group of pikachus. When the old ones joined the circle, with a confirmation that none were left sleeping, Bite began his orders. "Now that the seasons have started to change, I will be allowing more leisure time." Bite paused with a smile to the crowd that cheered accordingly and many exchanged glances and nuzzles. "However, those that are given duties will be expected to fulfill them. Since mating season is upon us we will not be having males and females patrolling together. We do not want another situation like last year." Bite glared down at a pair of pikachus who submissively bowed their heads.

Rain looked over at Snow again. That must have been what was so different about her. Her fur was shinier, her eyes were brighter and she had a lighter step. He glanced away again before she knew he was looking. He wondered if she had given any thought to a mate in this new territory because he sure hadn't. He wasn't even sure if he would mate this year. He remembered what his father had said and knew he had to find a strong mate. Thinking it over in his mind he looked again at Snow and was surprised to see she was staring back. It took him a moment before he was able to break the look and return to listening to the orders.

"We will need one group to go upstream where a fallen tree is blocking most of the water from running into our territory." Bite continued. "Another group will be on patrol until evening. There haven't been anymore signs of the raichus but we still want to keep an eye out a little longer." After that, Bite left his perch and began to assign pikachus to the groups. The majority, including Rain and Snow, had been given a leisure day where they could do whatever they wished. Spring's male friend had been selected to go with the group upstream and she had volunteered to go along as well.

At the dismissal, Rain turned to head back to his den. Snow trotted up beside him, "what are you going to do with your leisure day?" Her question was innocent enough but when Rain looked at her she refused to meet his gaze.

A blush suddenly washed over Rain making his red cheeks glow in the faint morning light. He looked away and tried to stutter out something. "I was sleep...in my den...going to." The lack of an ability to put together a complete sentence caused his blush to deepen to the point his cheeks let out a small spark.

The premature electrocution caused Snow to giggle. She was amused that she had such an affect on him without actually doing anything. "I was going to go down by the stream. There is still a little pool that is full even though the stream isn't flowing very well." She began to blush slightly as well. "I thought if you wanted to join me..." She looked up again and Rain was instantly lost in her eyes.

"I'd like that," Rain managed to say.

Snow smiled back at him as they turned to head to the pool. "I'm glad," she quietly replied. Neither could think of much to say as they walked the few minutes it took to cross the territory. The stream ran close to the outskirts of their land and was usually surrounded in the middle of the day when most the pack would feed on the berries and fruit trees that grew around the water source. In the early morning there was no movement around the pool except a pidgey who was taking a morning bath. At the sight of the two pikachus, the little bird quickly finished its bath and fluttered off to a nearby tree to preen.

The pikachus sat at the edge of the water looking into the rippled reflections. Rain seemed just a little more nervous so Snow gave him a lick on the cheek. She laid her tail over his and laid her head on his shoulder. Rain took a deep breath and his muscles relaxed. What was he afraid of? Snow was strong and would make a wonderful mate. Rain began to groom her, licking behind her ears and the fur on her neck. She returned the attentions as she groomed his shoulder and side, a sound very similar to a purr rumbled deep in her throat. Rain continued to groom her as he left her side to take her as his mate.

Away from the pikachu territory, the three raichus had gone as deep in the forest as they could get. They sat, resting, in the middle of a dirt road they had been following for the past few days. It wasn't long after they sat down that they heard voices coming from down the trail just ahead of them so they quickly dove into the brush off to the side.

"What is it?" Rose asked as she crouched down. They did not sound like pokemon voices although they were too far away to understand.

"Hush," Boss commanded, listening hard. "Let's get out of here. It sounds like humans." He turned to go deeper into the woods when Rose stopped him.

"Boss, wait," Rose said as she jumped in front of him. "The forest is empty, the three of us can't defend a territory from other scavengers, and we just aren't cut out to have to hunt for every meal. We don't have any thunderstones and we won't find any more." She backed away as Boss pushed on past her.

"You two do what you want," Boss said. "I won't live a life with humans." He walked deeper into the forest without looking back.

Rose tried again to turn him around. "Boss, please. It can't be that bad." Their leader never turned back.

Ace walked up beside her. "Its two male humans," he said in a quiet voice. "I can't understand their language, but I bet they would take us. I'm willing to try it if you are." Rose nodded at his words and the two turned back to the edge of the road.

The two males that walked down the road were in their early thirties. Both wore mostly black clothing and each carried a backpack. The first male seemed angry at something as he trudged down the road. "Explain to me again why we have to be out here, Donny."

"You don't know the first thing about being a henchman, do you, Chuck?" The second one asked. "If the henchman application says 'fire pokemon required' then you better not show up to the interview with a water type. The man wants his henchmen to have a raichu so, since this forest is known for the amount of pikachus in it, I figured this would be the best place to start." Between the two, Donny was the shorter one. He had blonde hair and a fairly stocky build, plus he considered himself brilliant at most everything he did. Chuck, his taller counterpart, had brown hair and a much thinner frame. He was very quiet most of the time and just followed Donny's lead, not that Donny would allow it to be any other way.

Chuck was was still not convinced his partner knew what he was doing. "Well, what's your big plan for finding these raichus? Its not like they are just going to pop out of nowhere."

The two men stopped suddenly as watched two raichus walked towards them down the road. Looking at each other the men quickly pulled off their packs to dig out their empty pokeballs. Donny laughed as he stood up with a pokeball in hand. "I don't want you to question my ideas ever again."

Rose and Ace stopped a few yards in front of the two men. "You sure you want to do this, Ace?" Rose questioned. "We might not see each other again."

Ace turned to look at her with tired eyes. "I'm hungry, Rose. Boss was wrong, there is nothing for us in the forest. This is it." Rose nodded then looked forward just as a pokeball hit her in the face. Her growls of pain were lost as her body was absorbed in a red light. "Rose!" Ace yelled, unsure of what had happened. The ball that she had been sucked into rolled to a stop on the ground and Ace pounced on it. "Rose, can you hear me. Damn, what have we done? Ro-" His words were cut short as a ball slammed into his side and quickly absorbed him as well. Rose's pokeball had stopped blinking and the device returned to Donny's hand.

Ace, however, put up a fight. He broke free from his pokeball and stood on his hind legs facing the men. The empty ball returned to Chuck who looked at it with displeasure. Donny laughed again and called out his captive. "Go, raichu!" Rose materialized out of the same red light and stood facing Ace. Donny turned to his counterpart. "Ill give you a hand capturing yours. Raichu, thunderbolt!"

Rose looked at the man with absolute bewilderment. She understood his every word, knew that he was ordering her to attack, and felt obliged to obey. "Ace," she said with a smile, even as her cheeks began to spark. "This is it, Ace, this is what we wanted. I feel great, I feel safe." She laughed. "And I believe we need to battle." With that she unleashed her thunderbolt directly at him.

Shocked, and quite literally, Ace stood there as the full attack hit him. Although it did very little damage he remained still as if he had been paralyzed. "I trust you," he whispered to her just before the pokeball again hit him in the side. After he vanished inside it, the ball rolled for just a moment before the light clicked off.

Chuck stepped forward and picked up his pokeball. "That wasn't a lot of work like I thought it would be."

Donny recalled his raichu back in her pokeball and attached it to his belt after shrinking it down to travel size. "A good henchman works easy, not smart."

"I thought the phrase was 'work smart, not hard'." Chuck replied.

Throwing up his hands, Donny turned to walk back the way they had come. "We are going to have a long talk about these henchman rules before we make it back to the mountain. Rocket is not an organization that allows any idiot to join their ranks." A very secret source had leaked that a new Rocket boss was looking to hire a few good henchmen. Although Rocket had disbanded most of their petty operations, a few of their larger projects still quietly rolled on without much notice.

With their new pokemon attached to their belts, the men walked down the road where they had left their truck. It would take the men a full day to drive to the mountain where they would turn in their applications to become Rocket henchmen. The raichus they captured had no idea where they would end up or what they would become, but they did know that the forest held nothing else for them.

...

_OMG, a second author's note? I know the thought of having Rocket in the story scares some of you, or at least it usually makes me not want to read a story half the time. This is not the Rocket you hate and these two grunts-to-be are by no means main characters but a means to introduce you to the main antagonist. You have already met our hero of the story, but every good hero needs a dark backstory..._


	4. Darkness Within

One review per chapter, huh? Well, I guess if I want 50 reviews then this thing better have 50 chapters, right? Yes, Rain did not tell Snow. But honestly, his dad talked to him about it once like five days ago. Would a genetic disease be in your foremost thoughts when you are about to get a piece of tail for the first time? I have decided to give the 'chus a second round and I would like to give any readers I may have the reassurance that the smut will get more detailed as the characters grow into their full personalities. Oh, and meet my Rockets.

Being inside a pokeball is like a restless, dreamless sleep where the lapse of time is untraceable and the voices around are mumbled whispers. The mind can replay things that it knows or has seen, but new thoughts can not be created. The pokemon exists as both data and a living creature, able to become hungry and even faint while inside a ball yet able to download other data such as the means to interpret human speech or a new move. Rose and Ace had no choice but to travel in their suspended states to await further command from their human captors. Neither knew what was to become of them.

Ace blinked hard as he tried to focus after the red light had faded. Looking around the dimly lit room he noticed Rose had also been called out. From the look of her intent focus as she sat beside the human she had been released for some time before he had. Rose spared a sideways glance at her former packmate before looking straight ahead once more.

Ace looked ahead to see another man behind a desk who was looking him over intently. The raichu felt his muscles stiffen at the intense scrutiny he was receiving. "He seems a bit more skittish," the man behind the desk said. He was more dark complected than either of the humans the raichus were bound to with very well trimmed black hair. With his dark grey suit and tie, even the raichus could tell that he was a pack leader of some sort. He was in his late forties although he had taken very good care of himself through the years. His brown eyes held a bright gleam that made him appear as if he could see right through someone into their thoughts and he used them to thoroughly inspect the men and pokemon in front of him.

Although Ace continued to look around try to make sense of the situation, Rose continued to sit perfectly still. She had quickly realized that they were under inspection as if to be allowed into a pack. It was much like a day when a pichu evolved into a pikachu and was taken before the pack leaders to be inspected. A scared, sick, or weak pikachu would be killed on the spot. If the child passed, a thunderstone would be placed in front of it to allow it to choose whether it wanted to evolve, however, any child that choose to remain a pikachu would also meet its end.

The man behind the desk continued to scowl at the raichu. Donny realized he had to do something or they both would be dismissed. "He's a little curious but very obedient, right Chuck?" He elbowed Chuck in the side trying to get him to control the raichu.

"Oh, right," Chuck said as he realized what was happening. "Sit still, raichu." The command was firm and Ace sat down even as he looked up at the man that was now his trainer. A decision to follow Rose's example was made in his mind although his thoughts still frantically wandered.

The man behind the desk sat back in his chair with his elbows propped up on its arms and his fingers lightly tapping against themselves. After a few moments spent of keeping the four in quiet anticipation, the man stood up. "Follow me, gentlemen," he demanded and like any new employee the two men and their raichus obeyed without a sound. The man walked them through a doorway to his living quarters.

They were inside a large mountain, a volcano of sorts it would seem. The living area was open with no walls separating the the dining room and the kitchen from an area that could be called a library, with its shelves of books, or from the den area where seats were arranged around a hearth. A set of stairs spiraled up the outer wall of the inner mountain before disappearing into a second floor about a quarter of the way around.

Their destination was the seats by the blazing fireplace. Sitting at the closest chair to the fire, the man allowed Chuck and Donny to decide amongst themselves who would sit in the remaining chair across from him. There was a couch seated between the two chairs directly in front of the fire but it was currently occupied by a massive female raichu with deep scars covering her body. She sat unmoving as she watched the fire burn and spared not even a glance at the raichus who caught themselves staring at her.

"From here on you shall refer to me as Dark. The name of Team Rocket shall never pass through your lips or you will immediately be removed from service." Donny and Chuck exchanged glances. Neither had opted to sit in the available chair but listened obediently to what the man was saying. "Men, do you know why I choose raichus?" When the two expectantly shook their heads Dark continued. "They are one of the pokemon who have a naturally dark nature. That is, they have a willingness to follow orders that may cause harm to the innocent or their fellow pokemon. Likewise, they also have a hatred for things weaker than themselves, including their former evolutions, that is not seen in any other species. They are astounding in how well built they are for a life of crime."

With a snap of his fingers the raichu on the couch left her perch to go to Dark's side. When she moved it was easy to tell just how old she was. Bones creaked until she sat down to his left so he could scratch her head. After another long moment of silence Dark continued to speak. "Gentlemen, I need you to release your raichus to me. It is far too obvious that you only recently captured them." Before the two could say anything to defend themselves Dark held up his hand. "You did what was required of you to get the job and that is acceptable, but those two do not have the training I need them to have. Release them to me and in a short time I will have them better prepared. Do either of you have any objections?"

"No sir," Donny said with Chuck shaking his head right beside him. Rose and Ace looked at each other with worry. They were still unsure of the whole situation and confused by their part in the mess.

Dark nodded his head in approval. "Very well, if you will return them to their pokeballs and give them to Morticia," he waved his hand and the elderly raichu made her slow way towards the men. The grunts did as told and placed the shrunken pokeballs on the ground where Morticia picked them up in her mouth then proceeded to a doorway across the room.

Dark looked at his two new employees and a small smirk eased its way across his face. "Now, have either of you ever heard of a man named Bill?" When the grunts went wide-eyed and slack-jawed, Dark knew that they indeed had heard of the pokemaniac. "I will be sending the two of you to his lab. He has been working under my supervision for the past seven years. I have recently discovered that he has donated blueprints for the machinery he has been constructing. It was our understanding that any of his discoveries would be owned by me and, subsequently, Team Rocket. This is a breach of contract that I can not let go unpunished. However, as we have already done away with everything dear to him, I will need the two of you to be my persuasion in getting him to rebuild a very special machine for me." Dark pulled an envelope out of his coat pocket and held it out to the men. Donny stepped forward to take the paper and held it for a moment as if he could see through it. "If not, all his funding will be pulled and his precious pokemon will die." The Rocket now had a very serious expression on his face. "Inform him and stay at his lab until you are called back. You are dismissed."

Rain jumped as he was awakened by a loud crash. He listened intently until he decided it was just a close strike of lightning from the storm outside and nothing to really fear. The storm had set in late that day and Rain had sat outside watching it roll in until Snow called him back into their burrow. Rain had been quiet all day, although Snow either didn't notice or didn't say anything about it. Worry filled his mind as he tried to think of a way he could tell her about the poison in his blood.

He looked beside him to see that she was still sleeping peacefully. Unable to think of disturbing her now, he laid his head back down. What he wouldn't give to have his father here to talk to him about the situation he was in. Maybe he should have told her before he took her as his mate, but then would she even have wanted him. He looked at her again and watched as her light pelt moved with her quiet breathing. No, he could tell her in the morning. She would still care for him just as much. After all, they had saved each other's lives.

Another loud clap of thunder sounded outside and Snow blinked open her eyes. "Is it storming," she asked before a yawn consumed her body. She stretched out her full length before convincing her eyes to focus in the dark. She looked up at Rain with such a warm expression that he was lost for words. He nodded to answer her question but when he tried to find the words to talk to her he was cut off by a soft lick to his chin.

"Snow, I..." he tried again, but her purrs drowned out his soft words as she rubbed her neck against his head. His ears flattened as his body reacted to her attentions, the fur along his spine tingled and stood on end.

"We can talk later," Snow whispered in his ear which caused it to twitch. The aroma that her body produced filled the tight space in the den and it inhibited Rain's ability to concentrate on what he was trying to tell her. Within moments he was lost in a haze of emotions, blindly searching for the source of the scent. He ran his nose down her spine inhaling deeply. The tiny yellow hairs tickled his nose and lips until he stopped at the base of her crooked tail. His back legs dug into the dirt of their den floor as he stood up. Aimed for his mark he took her again until the soft sounds of their mating, overpowered by the storm outside, drifted back into silence and then sleep.

Ah, the infamous Bill. He was never given as much credit for the things he did as I believe he should have been. What could this pokemaniac have that Rocket wants? How will Snow feel when she learns about Rain's genetic poison now that she is likely pregnant with his offspring? Will Rose and Ace ever see Boss again? More humans introduced soon.


	5. Mad Scientist

I would like to mention, since I have failed to do so beforehand, that this fic contains a lot of the things I either wish to see more of in a fic, or the things I hate seeing because they are done so...gah, what's a good word...poorly? I have a bad obsession with wanting everything to be scientifically proven as you will probably find out. If something in my fic seems to go without an explanation, please comment on it so I may better explain the process that I feel is required for something of that sort to happen. Ok, enough ranting.

An old man sat at a cluttered desk in a tiny, dimly lit room. Papers were stacked high looking with stamps and numbers scrawled on them that held no meaning to any but the man who put them there. Boxes lined the outer walls for lack of any other reasonable space for them to occupy, so they doubled as tables and shelves for less stackable objects. Newspaper clipping of indeterminable importance were pinned to any other free surface, most with pictures which resembled the old man at the desk at a much younger age. Others with a somewhat older figure on the front page were stacked neatly on an otherwise empty box-table, yet one more with the same wrinkled face that stared out from the mounds of paper was crumbled and laying in the trash. Its headline featured the word 'mad scientist' in an unflattering way.

A knock at the door to the office caused the old man to groan and wave his hand at the door to be rid of the intrusion. Nevertheless, the much younger form of a man clad in a white lab coat entered the room. "Two men have just arrived," he spat out with disregard that the man he was speaking to was his boss. "No one was scheduled for the tanks today so it must be the new Rocket grunts." The man at the door left just as he had come without further words or even waiting for a nod that his boss had heard him.

Rocket grunts often in the lab with his own lab assistants, but with the news that he had given away the blueprints to his machines all over the news, he figured that these grunts probably brought news he would not want to hear.

The old man left his office at the far end of the building and made his slow way to the front. However, he didn't get far before another assistant in the same white coat they all wore stopped him. "Bill, sir, here is the report from the cage rooms." The assistant handed the old man a clipboard with various papers attached and Bill obediently flipped through them with disgust. The assistant continued on as he restated the same information held on the papers. "That's four that have died because of the flooding from that last storm. The pikachu finally woke up from his last session, and we did end up having to amputate that charizard's wings."

The news was like any other day's news. Bill handed the clipboard back to his assistant and continued through the lab, although the Rockets would have to wait. When he reached the stairway to the cage rooms he made a detour to check on the pokemon. The stairs went down to a basement hallway lined with a dozen doors on either side. At one point the floor would have been just another level to a thriving laboratory, one that strived to better the relationships between humans and pokemon. Now, it was worse than a prison for the innocent.

Bill made his way through the dark. He had figured if he did not turn on any lights except the dim emergency ones at the far ends of the hallway then he could afford to buy just a few extra bags of pokefood. Coming to a stop at the door with the symbol for electric type he took a breath before slowly pushing it open.

Hisses, growls, and cries filled the room as he flicked on the light. The sight before him was horrendous. Pokemon lined walls and were stacked on tables in cages while others were held in place by chains and shackles. Water dripped in through cracks in the walls and the air was stale with the smell of mold, feces, and urine. Bill's chin quaked as the former pokemaniac looked upon his once beloved creatures with sorrow. It was those damn Rockets, so greedy they all were, who wanted his machines but even when given the cold contraptions they weren't satisfied. Bill became as much a captive as the pokemon, bound to run the tanks for Team Rocket's profit and destroy everyday the very thing he first created the machines for: to become closer to pokemon.

He had entered the room to check on the pikachu. He laid in a cage, ear turned to listen to the sounds of Bill's footprints as he approached. Pikachu had been one of Bill's favorites and to see the happy pokemon dying at the hands of his creations was maddening. He looked at the empty cage beside it. Raichu had been one of the many to succumb to illness due to the unsanitary conditions and lack of fresh air.

"Bill!" A voice called from the stairway. "You need to come up here." Bill turned to leave, making eye contact with a young electrike who had never been put through the tanks. The innocent pup wagged its tail, hoping for compassion. Instead, Bill turned off the lights and latched the door behind him.

When Bill emerged from the stairs, the younger assistant was kindly showing the two Rockets around the lab. Chuck and Donny looked around with awe until finally laying their eyes on the man they had come to see. Donny reached his hand out to Bill who in turn looked at the appendage with disgust. Donny withdrew his hand. "I was just going to say I'm a fan of your work, Bill."

"Don't be," Bill snapped back, staring down the Rocket with hatred in his eyes. "This is -your- work, not mine. All I do is keep the machines working so your boss and the bosses above him can have their fun and I can keep my sister alive."

Donny was taken back by the statement and looked over to the assistant who had been giving them the tour. The young man shook his head, a signal that it was not a topic that needed to be discussed. "Very well," Donny said in a more professional tone. "I was sent here to give you this." He pulled the envelope from his pocket and held it out to Bill.

Bill looked at the package for a long moment before slowly taking it. Wrinkles bunched on his brow as worry consumed him and he took his time opening it. As he unfolded the first piece of paper in side it his expression changed to disbelief, then anger as he read further down. "He just can't be satisfied, can he?" Bill mumbled through gritted teeth. He turned to storm off back towards his tiny office when he was stopped by another assistant.

"Sir, there is a man outside with a large briefcase. He is asking for you by name." The assistant looked suspicious, like they all did whenever a stranger was trying to get inside. Most that showed up were Rockets or people sent here by Team Rocket and all of them announced who had sent them and were let in. Those that asked for Bill were often other types of criminals or overly rich sons-of-bitches who had nothing else to spend their money on. There was only a small circle of people that knew where Bill ran his machines, or that he was even a part of the whole underground operation, and if the law ever found out then they would all go away for a very long time.

"Let him in," Bill groaned. "The tanks are empty today and we have mouths to feed." He folded the papers back up and returned them to their envelope. That could be dealt with later. "Take these two to a room," he commanded to whichever assistant was listening. "I will have them start replacing the lost pokemon in the morning."

Donny stopped the assistant before he led them away. "You mean his is still doing the process himself? Here? Today?" He was wide-eyed with amazement. He had always heard rumors that Bill was still around fiddling with his contraptions, but until their meeting with Dark he had no idea that a whole lab out in the middle of nowhere down some never-ending dirt road was functioning as the headquaters for a major fad around the world. The assistant shuffled his feet until he reluctantly admitted there was an observation area above the tanks.

"Wait, what's happening?" Chuck said, confused. He had know Bill was an inventor of sorts, but what could be that exciting?

Donny shook his head but his grin never left his face. "We are going to get to watch a pokemorphing take place."

Bill took his time in interviewing the man to make sure he knew what he was getting into and figuring out exactly what he wanted out of the process. The man was an ex-lawyer who had just lost everything he had when his wife sued him for infidelity, using every trick she had seen him play to prove a case that had absolutely no evidence. After his loss, no one had wanted to hire him, his home and half of everything went to her, and all he had left of his fortune was in the suitcase ready to be traded for a new life. He was a lawyer, that was all he had ever been. The conniving and ruthless kind that won cases for his clients whether they were right or wrong. As a pokemorph, he felt he could fit right in with the other morphs of the cities and become a lawyer that they would trust

Most people despised morphs, feeling that if they were criminal enough to seek out the illegal underground morphing centers - such as this - then they were criminals and nothing more. The few legal morphing centers that had come about trying to imitate Bill's processes were ineffective at times because the pokemon could not legally be present in the centers and it was difficult to get the wanted results with frozen DNA. That was the main reason Bill had donated blueprints, documents, and plans for his machines to a company that could use them to create better, legal and humane machines. Ones that anybody could afford to use so all pokemaniacs could have that feeling of being one with their pokemon, and ones that could reverse the process unlike those that existed now.

The man had already decided on a pokemon and handed Bill a picture of the creature. It was a large, fox-like creature, only one he had never seen. A zoroark was what the man had called it, a pokemon capable of creating illusions and quite the perfect match for a lawyer of his nature. He wanted the powers of the pokemon transferred into him - something that was impossible and forbidden in the legal morphing clinics, and for good reason. Powers weren't as easy for humans to control so couple that with most pokemorphs being criminals to begin with and you end up with something dangerous in the wrong hands.

Bill, however, was not at liberty to have morals on the matter.

The man handed over the picture of the pokemon and a pokeball containing a specimen he had purchased before following Bill down the winding halls into a room with the so-called 'tanks'. To start off the process Bill began by placing the pokeball into a sealed glass container large enough for a blastoise to move freely. The chamber was then pumped full of a sleeping gas and the pokeman was called forth by its trainer.

What emerged was a tiny, pink smoochum which sat crying on the floor. It peered up at the people around it with terrified eyes. One of Bill's aides ran to the control box and was about to hit the cut off switch when Bill grabbed him by his lab coat. "Is this your pokemon," Bill asked the man who nodded with a smirk on his face. Sure enough as soon as the sleeping gas took hold the pokemon changed back into its own form.

In the background, one assistant commented that he thought mew were the only ones who could change shape, but no one was listening to him as they eyed the new pokemon. Brown fur covered its body save for its long red mane and white claws. It was muscular and quite powerful looking, a perfect specimen.

Bill nodded to an aide and the chamber was flushed of the gas before it was opened. The man-sized fox was loaded onto a cart and wheeled through a door out of the tank room, the man watching his prize disappear with skeptic worry. However, Bill assured him they were doing merely a checkup and restraining his powers for everyone's' safety. As he spoke, Bill lead the man to tank of his own.

Chuck and Donnie watched the process from a viewing platform on the floor above the tank room. Only a thin sheet of glass separated the two from the excitement below. The tank the man was being put into was a metal cylinder about four feet in diameter and seven foot tall. A hinged door with a small window on the front opened out sideways and the man stepped in, instructed by an aide to remove his clothing. From a cabinet Bill pulled down two bottles and two syringes, filling the first up with a blue liquid from one bottle and the second with a green out of the other. The first shot was a Complete Transformation Inhibitor and it went into the man's shoulder. Bill explained the CTI would prevent the more dominant pokemon DNA from overriding the human DNA. His first morphing experiments had ended in partially human creatures that could be captured in pokeballs but not uploaded into a storage system. Too much of the CTI and the pokemon DNA would be rejected by the body after a few months causing wings, tails, even legs and eyes to stop working and decay while attached to the body with the only fix being amputation. The next injection was simply a pain killer injected directly into the base of the brain above the first vertebrae. As the aides finished wiring the man to the tank the pokemon was wheeled back in. Now conscious, though still heavily sedated, it wore an odd leather collar which an IV drip was hooked into after it had been placed in its own tank right next to the man.

From their perch it was hard for Chuck and Donny to tell exactly what was going on below them until he heard Bill shouting for all aide to vacate the tank room. The doors to the two identical tanks were shut and locked, only the face of the man visible through the one window, and all left save for Bill. From a computer screen situated between the tanks he fired up the one that contained the pokemon. Staring intently at the read-out now on the screen he paused before keying in another code. The pokemon tank whirled loudly and the sudden screams from the terrified creature filled any silence the machine failed to penetrate. He gave one last glance to the man in the first tank before hitting the button to begin the painful process.

Ah, pokemorphs. How did your mew-eared girl come to be? Mommy get banged by a pokemon? That crafty little kitty can shape-shift. Seriously, maybe I need to read some more pokemorphing stories but it always seems that their morph side is either completly unexplained or something that I just don't like. Hey, its an opinion. Heads up, the next chapter we are moving forward. Spring (the season) is on its way and that means the season of birth. Has Rain still not told Snow? Uh oh. And those of you not caught up on Gen V still...zoroark is also a new pokemon. C'mon, he's got his own movie.


	6. The Capture

Whew, I didn't think I was going to get a review on that last one. I know I am writing for a small audience so every review is appreciated. A few more things you might have noticed; I don't capitalize species names. I don't feel it is necessary. You will also find a mentioning of pokemon eggs in this chapter, and that is also something that I'm not quite a fan of. It will be addressed in later chapters.

The seasons came and went until the cold was warmed away and flowers began to bloom again. Inside the pikachu territory, deep in the forest, Snow awoke to the crisp morning air. She relaxed into the scents of fresh flowers - some of which were distinctly pokemon produced - until she noticed the faint scent of her mate. Had he been in the den with her I would have been stronger. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and, indeed, he was nowhere in the small burrow nor was his spot still warm as if he had just left. Snow had woke a few times since the change of the season to find that Rain had left her at some point during the night. She crawled to the entrance and poked her head above ground. The old pikachu who was to round up stragglers smiled at her and continued his rounds. The obviously pregnant or those who had recently birthed were not required to attend the dawn meetings although they were encouraged to gather berries if they could still move through the forest. With Snow's small body her fully pregnant belly drug the ground when she walked on all fours and it was tiring to walk on just her hind legs.

Smoothing down the new sprigs of grass along the forest floor, Snow waddled her way to the meeting spot. Sure enough, Rain sat in his customary spot listening to the orders they were being given. Her younger sister, Spring, sat by her mate - although they had obviously chosen to hold off creating a family. Snow sat at the edge of the crowd as she waited for the meeting to be over.

When Rain turned around to head off to his assignment he saw his mate doing her damnedest to look pissed. Her arms were crossed over her round belly and one foot tapped slowly against the ground. "Why do you keep running off before dawn?" She interrogated. "You have been acting weird, what's gotten into you?"

Rain shrugged, he failed at acting when it came to playing cool. He had never mentioned to her what his father said would happen to their offspring and as the fateful day of birth closed in he became more and more distant as he feared the worst.

"What is up with you lately?" His mate bellowed one more time, trying to get anything out of him. She looked about ready to pop as she stood there.

He just shook his head. "Its...its nothing, okay?" He wanted to tell her, to warn her, but the smile that crossed her face when she talked about being a mother was enough to make him regret the pain he would put her through. "I'm just worried about...Gah, its just nothing!"

"Well its a pretty big 'nothing' then." Why was he being so silly? If he hadn't wanted to be her mate in the first place then he should have said something instead of thinking that night was just a freebie. Snow had thought they had a connection. Since they both lost their families she figured they could start a new one together and be able to help each other cope. Now he was being stupid, ignoring her like this or trying to run away from it or whatever he thought he was doing. "Why don't you just..." She began, about to cuss him away but she stopped in her rant as a wave of pain swept over her. "You can just..." She tried again but another wave hit her. "Ah, its happening," she shouted finally as a ripple could be seen moving under the fur on her swollen stomach.

Before her mate figured out what was going on, her younger sister had heard her call and dashed over to them. Rain sat there frozen and horrified, every bit of his soul prayed to whatever pokegods that could hear him that the child was male and that he could put off telling her for at least another season.

Spring was in no mood to take pity on the confused father-to-be, she had been watching from a distance and was well aware how shady Rain had been lately. Spring's own mate helped her walk Snow back to her den with Rain following dumbly behind. Wide-eyed and slack-jawed he followed down into the burrow. The dim light was just enough to see his mate stretched out on her side with the bulge in her belly moving lower down her abdomen until a piercing cry of pain had Rain covering his ears.

His mate's younger sister talked her through the birth, nuzzling her side or rubbing her back as each painful wave passed until the tiny black ears of her first child emerged. Covered in a clear liquid and a little blood, Spring brought the child to Snow's head for the new mother to clean. The sight was beautiful and disgusting at the same time. The birth fluids and Snow's blood - mostly from the chewed through umbilical cord - made the floor of the burrow a mess of mud that clung to the fur of all that were there.

"She's beautiful," Snow whispered. She had seemingly forgotten the fight that her and Rain were just having as she looked up at her mate with loving eyes. "Rain, come see your daughter."

The scene was too familiar for the young male and a single tear rolled out of his eye. "Snow, I'm so sorry," he pleaded, but when she said she forgave him for being so distant Rain could only shake his head. "Its not that. Its-" His apology was cut off as the newborn interrupted in a coughing fit. Snow licked at her stomach, trying to calm the babe down so it could breathe but the coughs only became harder.

"What's wrong with her?" Snow looked up at Rain with eyes begging him to say their daughter was alright. Rain had to look away from the two of them as a small trail of blood began to run from the babe's nose. The blood stained Snow's fur as it came out in the now violent coughs and tears flowed freely from the young mother's eyes.

The new father hung his head. "She won't live," he whispered, but his mate heard and looked up at him with already pained eyed. "I've know all along. I tried to tell you, but...I'm so sorry Snow."

"What do you mean," she asked as her child shook in her arms. Anger churned in her eyes as she looked at Rain.

"Its in my blood, that's what my father told me." He closed his eyes, ashamed of himself. "But it only affects our daughters," he tried to redeem himself. "Our sons will live! They will carry it, but it won't kill them. It's what I wanted to tell you, what has had me upset." He tried to look into her eyes but she had closed them tightly.

"Get out," Snow whined without looking up at him. "Get out!" She shouted when he didn't move. "Leave my den and don't come back!" Screaming through gritted teeth she sent him away.

Rain scurried from the den and a bolt of lightning followed him out. Heartbroken, the young male ran as hard as he could. In the distance as he ran another painful cry came from his den but he didn't look back. What had he done? Why had he let it go this far without telling her? There was no excuse for his lack of action and he felt he deserved the hatred that Snow now felt for him.

He ran to the far end of the territory, farther than he had been. He ran through parts of the forest he had never seen. It seemed the sun was even ashamed to cast its rays on his back and the clouded sky stayed dark even as the morning turned into day. All day he ran until he could run no further. Stopping at what he could only guess was midday he sat down in a trail carved through the forest - a road, had anyone been there to tell him what it was called. He laid down on the grassy divider between the two rocky ruts and closed his eyes.

For a brief second a flash of pink darted through the sky above him. Then it was gone.

A rustle in a tree above him caught his attention and he opened one eye to look at the form of a spearow perched nearby. "This is not the most painful thing you will live through," the bird said without any forward. Rain recognized the calm voice as the same spearow that had spoke to him back when they were running from the raichus. Just as Rain opened his mouth to question the intentions of the avian the spearow commanded "look there," and so he did.

"Humans," Rain whimpered, but when he looked up the spearow was gone. Still laying on the dirt of the road he watched them.

Down the road a small vehicle rattled towards him with a cloud of dust billowing behind it. The vehicle had no top, just a windshield and an area behind the set of rear seats where a few small cages of varying sizes were strapped down. Two men in solid black sat in the front seats while a faintly rose-colored raichu sat in the back with her nose scanning the forest.

"_Chu!_" The raichu announced just before the vehicle made it around the bend in the road that allowed them to see the pikachu that lay helplessly in its center.

"Good job, Scarlet," Donny praised as the two men stepped out of the vehicle. Since Rose had been given to Dark to train she had undergone a few changes, firstly, her name. Because Dark was not yet a pokemorph himself he had been unable to simply ask his new companions what their names were, so instead he took the liberty of naming them. While Rose had become Scarlet - a name she much preferred - Ace had become Mort. The name was given to him as sort of an heirloom. Dark's raichu, Morticia - whom he had raised from an egg as a pichu, was very near the end of her life. Dark saw a young raichu looking for direction inside of Ace, just as a young child once searched for his own direction before discovering the organization that was Team Rocket.

The second change in Scarlet was obvious as the muscles along her legs and back rippled when she jumped down from the vehicle. She stood up and walked on her hind legs. Her head and tail were held confidently and a red scarf tied around her neck blew in the chilly spring wind. She was the only one of the two that Dark had allowed his two henchmen to take on the expedition. Bill had lost quite a few pokemon during the winter and - wanting to take care of his investment - Dark had insisted that they help Bill restock.

Although Bill had a pikachu in captivity he still needed a raichu. With his basic machine he had to have to pokemon in whatever evolutionary stage the morphing procedure called for. Since raichus were no longer in the forest, Scarlet took them to the very road she and her partner had been captured on to look for the next best thing.

Heh, like pikachus could ever be ranked in the same scoring system as a raichu.

Scarlet looked up at Donny for her commands. She much preferred the company of Dark than these two, but she felt she owed Donny for getting them out of the forest to begin with. Her temporary trainer looked at their target with a smile. "Scarlet, show him your swagger."

The raichu nodded her head and began walking towards the pikachu with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. A red glow began to radiate off of her body making her overall appearance haughty and menacing.

Rain had been watching the humans with controlled fear. He had very little strength and even less interest in attempting escape. He had failed his mate, failed his father, and he did not feel he deserved another chance. However, as he watched the raichu approach he began to feel angry and confused. He did not know why everything was happening to him, why all the pain had to be his to bear. Rain shook his head trying to clear his mind but to no avail.

Unaware that he had succumbed to Scarlet's attack, Rain lifted himself to all fours and sparked lightly from his cheeks. Neither rodent realized they had met before, not that either cared about that part of their past, anyways. Unable to think clearly, Rain growled at his opponent in an attempt to gain the upper hand.

Scarlet chuckled at the pathetic attempt and set down on all fours as she stopped a few yards away. "Double team," Donny said calmly. Dark had trained her very well and Donny was glad he was able to use her to do his bidding without having done all the labor to get her there. Sure, at the end of the mission she would go back to Dark but she still obeyed, so what could have been better?

The black-tipped ears of the pikachu flattened against his head as he was suddenly surrounded by raichus. Scared and confused, Rain sent out a bolt of electricity in all directions but managed to hit nothing but himself. Three times he tried and three times he only hurt himself. Already tired before the battle, Rain had no strength to resist when Scarlet put her foot on top of his head. She held him there until the humans approached and injected him with some of Bill's sleep serum.

Rain could only hear his own heart beat until he heard nothing at all.

Quietness. Free of pain. Why couldn't he just stay there? The silence of unconsciousness was far better than the sights Rain saw when he woke a few hours later. The low rumble of the the vehicle under him filled his ears coupled with the sharp rattle of the cages. The metal was cold under his paws and slick with his own drool and the mud that had coated his fur. Slowly he opened one eye only to realize he could not see anything - it was night. His body was pulled back towards restless sleep and he offered no fight.

Scarlet watched him from the back seat of the vehicle. Chuck and Donny had captured a few more pokemon that Bill had requested as well as the pikachu that would replace the dead raichu. They had been searching for the mouse pokemon for a few months before deciding to follow Scarlets directions.

"_Churai_," Scarlet said to the two men. Chuck turned around to see the pikachu still slightly moving.

"I think that one is waking up." Chuck stuck his thumb over his shoulder to point at the pikachu.

Donny shrugged. "Let Bill deal with it. We gave it the dose he told us.

"Why can't we use pokeballs again?" Chuck asked. This seemed more inhumane than he was thinking it was going to be.

"Bill has been over this with us. The cost of all the pokeballs not to mention the price of the uploading computers. Plus, when pokeballs get uploaded the pokemon inside can be traced or pulled out elsewhere. Even in pokeballs they still have to be let out to feed them if you don't upload them. Nets and chains are just an easier way to contain them unless they want some nutcase - or the cops - finding the lab." Donny reached around and popped his passenger in the back of his head. "You ain't going to make a very good henchman if you keep this 'caring' stuff up." The pulled to a stop at the back entrance to the lab. "Now put Scarlet back in her ball and help me get these cages unloaded."

Rain felt movement but could not pull himself back into consciousness. They unloaded him and his cage onto a cart and a man in a white coat came out to push him away.

The lab assistant took him into a bright room with white walls that smelled ridiculously clean. The pikachu was hosed off and inspected for any major injuries before the man pulled out a green stone from a locked cabinet. The thunderstone was placed on the pikachu's shoulder and the assistant stepped back to allow the evolution to take place. The body of the pokemon began to glow and change until the form of a raichu was left in its departure. The man then unceremoniously attached a bulky leather collar around its neck with wires and tubes that hug from it which had to be inserted into the raichu's skin.

Rain began to regain consciousness as he tossed about. Although not fully awake, the raichu could feel a slight pinch in his neck. Shortly after, a liquid was injected into his veins and he slowly came to. He was moving and he wasn't sure how as his legs were still unresponsive. His neck was sore and he felt...strange. One man was pushing the cart he rode on and another stood by a door in front of them. "Bill," the man pushing the cart began. "He has been inspected and collared. I would say he is about five years old. He does not appear to be physically strong."

Bill nodded. "It doesn't matter. Physical strength deteriorates anyways." Bill looked at the raichu with a sadness that foretold of a horrible life to come. Rain closed his eyes, unable to to look at him. "Move him downstairs. There are still others that need inspected." Bill moved away with a tired walk.

Back in the cage room as the lab assistant deposited Rain and lock the door behind him our raichu began to gain movement in his limbs. He rolled his head to the side to look at his paw. It looked as wrong as it felt with claws that shouldn't be there. He couldn't tell the color in the dark but he was sure it was no longer the yellow of a pikachu. He confirmed his guess as he reached around for his tail. Yep, raichu it was.

"Hey newbie," a voice called out in the dark room. The raichu turned and could make out the form of a pokemon he had never seen before. It was an electabuzz and he sounded old. "Yeah you, raichu. Just wanted to give you a heads up. First few things, don't scratch at your collar, don't think you can break the bars on your cage and don't bite any of the humans. None of it will get you anywhere." The raichu sat up and listened to the older pokemon but said nothing so he continued. "Its easier if you don't fight it."

"Fight what?" The raichu asked.

"Your new life," the electabuzz said with a sad laugh. "Its gonna hurt, but they won't kill you. They need us alive."

Rain cringed as the first smells of the floor of the room drifted to his nose. "What is this place?"

"It is where you will die."

Well, Rain has been captured and it doesn't look good for him. You won't find any answers just yet. Next chapter we have some new characters to meet.


End file.
